Avondale, Newfoundland — Andrew Ranger clinched a second victory this season in the NASCAR Canada Series, after an eventful race Saturday, as Paillé Course//Racing was at Eastbound International Speedway in Avondale, in Newfoundland. Marc-Antoine Camirand also scored his third podium finish of the season after a great comeback in the Pro-Line 250.

 

Andrew Ranger was confident that he could carry his momentum from his last victory at Autodrome Chaudière and begin the NASCAR Canada series’ Eastern Swing strong. 

 

Ranger knew from the beginning of the day that his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro could be very competitive throughout the race. He placed sixth in practice and eight in qualifying, but quickly managed to climb the field during the first half of the race.

 

“We struggled a bit in qualifying, but I made my way up pretty quickly. I was third and I knew that I could have my chance for the lead,” told Ranger.

 

This opportunity came when the two front runners came into a heated battle and spun. “I saw them battling for a few laps and I kept the inside when they collided and went outside. After that, I just had to keep that first spot and I held it to the checkered flag. I’m so happy to win this second victory in two consecutive events,” concluded Ranger.

 

Marc-Antoine Camirand also secured a good result in the 250-lap race, scoring his third consecutive podium finish.

 

Second in practice and third in qualifying, Camirand showed that he could be a contender for the victory in the early laps of the race. He took the lead at lap 85 and was the leader at the halfway break.

 

However, as he was running in first place, Camirand was involved in a collision with another car behind after a heated battle on a restart, which gave the lead to Ranger and made Camirand drop several positions.

 

“It was just past the midway break that I have been spun and dropped the field. From that moment, I just wanted to gain those positions back,” he said.

 

The driver of the GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro has been able to climb back to third place with around 40 laps to go in the race to claim his third consecutive podium finish.

 

“I think we had a chance for the win before I was spun, but I am happy that I could still come back third. We now head out to Antigonish and we want to win back that checkered flag,” Camirand concluded.

 

Paillé Course//Racing, with Andrew Ranger and Marc-Antoine Camirand, now heads to Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, NS, for a NASCAR Canada series doubleheader, next Saturday and Sunday nights.

 

Avondale, Quebec - A promising start that fell short... Once again, Thomas Nepveu faced mechanical issues during his NASCAR Canada race. This time, however, it was particularly heartbreaking as the young driver was in third place and had recorded the fastest lap of the race before his gas pedal failed.

 

It was Nepveu's first appearance at this event, having missed the 2023 race due to a scheduling conflict. The Oka native quickly adapted to the fast oval track, securing 8th place in practice and 6th in qualifying.

 

Driving the #24 Richelieu | Home Hardware | Cromwell Ford, Nepveu took to the track during the Pro-Line 250 held at Eastbound International Speedway. This oval, longer than Chaudière, suited Thomas’s driving style, and he quickly found his pace.

 

Early in the race, Nepveu overtook Jason Hathaway to move into 4th position, enjoying a comfortable gap for a few laps. Before the mandatory mid-race pit stop, he had dropped to 7th after a fierce battle with NASCAR Canada veteran Louis-Philippe Dumoulin.

 

Following the restart, Nepveu climbed to 3rd place, setting the race's fastest lap at the time. However, the race quickly turned into a nightmare as a mechanical failure forced him to retire with about 90 laps remaining.

 

"It was a great race, and we had an excellent car prepared by Jacombs Racing!" said Thomas after the race. "However, I am very disappointed to have suffered another mechanical failure. We could have not only hoped for our first podium in NASCAR Canada but also earned valuable championship points. Now, we turn our focus to Antigonish, a track I really like."

 

NASCAR Canada will return to the track on June 28 and 29 at Riverside Speedway in Antigonish, Nova-Scotia, as part of the Canada Day celebrations.

 

Avondale, Newfoundland – NASCAR Canada completed its trip to Newfoundland with a thrilling 250-lap race at Eastbound International Speedway, a track renowned for its speed. Andrew Ranger, driver of the #27 GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada machine, claimed the highest honours, marking his 33rd career win and second of the season to date.

 

The day started off strong for Kevin Lacroix in the #74 Valvoline/NAPA Racing Dodge, who clinched the fastest lap in the Practice session. Lacroix then went on to set the fastest lap time in Qualifying, earning the E3 Spark Plugs Pole Award thanks to his lap of 15.814 seconds, edging out D.J. Kennington in the #17 Castrol Edge/CIM Metals/Brimstone Games Dodge by a mere 0.035 seconds.

 

Spectators in attendance at the Pro•Line 250 were treated to a thrilling and action-packed race across the board, as all 15 drivers battled it out to the very end. Once the green flag waved, Lacroix set sail and pulled a healthy gap on Kennington and the #96 GM Paille/Chevrolet Canada car of Marc-Antoine Camirand.

 

Camirand boldly jumped up to second place, closing the gap behind Lacroix. This tense battle defined the race until lap 86, when Marc-Antoine made a strategic move to take the lead.

 

Eventually, Lacroix and Camirand made contact, which sent them both to the end of the field but didn’t prevent them from finishing the race.

 

Andrew Ranger then seized the opportunity to take over the lead. However, he had his work cut out for him, as Donald Theetge in the #80 Groupe Theetge/Vulcain Chevrolet was also looking at climbing on the highest step of the podium. Camirand and Lacroix both made their way back up the field but were short on time in their pursuit for the win. Lacroix had to settle for second place, with Camirand rounding off the podium.

 

"It's unbelievable,” stated Andrew Ranger after the race. “It's our second win this year, I'm so proud of this team. Newfoundland has been tough for us in the past, but we finally found a win here. I think we are leading the championship, which makes this victory all the more special.”

 

“It was a fun race,” said runner-up Kevin Lacroix at the podium ceremonies. “I led several laps, got into an incident and still finished second, with my teammate winning the race. It's great for the team, but I’m personally not satisfied with this result. However, the car is fast so I am confident we'll turn around our luck and get a win later.”

 

Camirand, who started from third, had to fight hard to secure his spot in the Top 3 after his collision with Lacroix. “I wish I had won, but it was a good and interesting race with a strong battle against car #74,” he reflected. “I don't understand the move he made halfway through the race, it seemed a bit early. He said I squeezed him on a restart, so I'll need to watch the video to see if I'm at fault, but I'll take third place. We're headed to Antigonish next, and we’ll try to bring home the win."

 

Theetge and Dumoulin rounded off the Top 5, with Jason Hathaway in the #3 ASSA ABLOY/Leland Industries Chevrolet in sixth place, and D.J. Kennington in 7th place. Local driver Brandon McFarlane made a strong comeback from starting 11th to finishing 8th in his #23 Auto Direct USA/Wing'N'It Restaurants Chevrolet. He also clinched the Josten’s Rookie of the Race award. Right behind him was Larry Jackson in the #84 Dooley's Trucking/Big Chief/O'Neil/E3 Dodge, claiming 9th place. The Top 10 was completed by Bryan Cathcart in the #98 Curb Records/Darkhorse Trailers/Strode's Ford.

 

Local driver Sara Thorne had an unfortunate incident aboard her #06 Bay By Bay/Brimstone Games/Turner's Garage, which forced her to retire from the race.

 

NASCAR Canada will be back in action next week as the series heads to Antigonish for two more races on June 29th and 30th at Riverside Speedway.

 

The Pro•Line 250 will air on TSN on June 29 at 3 p.m. ET and on RDS on July 6 at noon ET.